Thrombosis & Covid-19
The surprise was that this respiratory virus makes a beeline for the cells lining blood vessels, filling them up like a gumball machine and shredding the cell from the inside out. We found blood vessels are blocked and blood clots are forming because of that lining damage - Dr. William Li

image by: HWN
HWN Suggests
Could microclots help explain the mystery of long Covid?
Since early 2020, we and other researchers have pointed out that acute Covid-19 is not only a lung disease, but actually significantly affects the vascular (blood flow) and coagulation (blood clotting) systems...
In blood from patients with long Covid, persistent microclots are resistant to the body’s own fibrinolytic processes. We found high levels of various inflammatory molecules trapped in the persistent microclots, including clotting proteins like plasminogen, fibrinogen and Von Willebrand factor (VWF), and also Alpha-2 antiplasmin (a molecule that prevents the breakdown of microclots)... Preliminary results indicate that treatments such as antiplatelet and anticoagulation regimens…
Featured
Covid linked to 33-fold increase in risk of potentially fatal blood clot
Catching Covid is associated with a fivefold increase in the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and a 33-fold increase in risk of a potentially fatal blood clot on the lung in the 30 days after becoming infected, data suggests.
COVID might be linked to more blood clots than we thought
Far more COVID patients suffer from blood clots after leaving the hospital than previously realized, according to recent research published in the journal Blood. In all of our previous knowledge, the way you got clots in your lung was called pulmonary embolism.” In that case, a clot usually forms in the legs before breaking off and being pumped into the heart. “It entered the right side of your heart, and then was spewed into your lungs.” COVID, however, seems to trigger the formation of what are called pulmonary microthrombi, or small clots that form in the blood vessels of the lungs themselves.
Why Blood Clots Are a Major Problem in Severe Covid-19
Out-of-control clotting can endanger some patients even after the virus has gone. Researchers are trying to understand the problem and how to treat it.
Articles of Interest
A study confirms a small risk of blood clots after vaccines, but not as high as the risk Covid brings
The study adds to the growing evidence that though the coronavirus vaccines are associated with certain rare side effects, those risks are dwarfed by the risks from Covid-19.
Blood clot risk greater after Covid infection than after vaccination
Analysis of 29m people finds danger of infection with Sars-Cov-2 far outweighs the risks of having jab.
Clots, Strokes And Rashes. Is COVID-19 A Disease Of The Blood Vessels?
Some of the earliest insights into how COVID-19 can act like a vascular disease came from studying the aftermath of the most serious infections. Those reveal that the virus warps a critical piece of our vascular infrastructure: the single layer of cells lining the inside of every blood vessel, known as the endothelial cells or simply the endothelium.
COVID-19 and thrombosis: From bench to bedside
In this review we will analyze the current available knowledge of the association between COVID-19 and thrombosis. We will highlight mechanisms at both molecular and cellular levels that may explain this association. In addition, the article will review the antithrombotic properties of agents currently utilized or being studied in COVID-19 management.
COVID-19 and Vaccine-Induced Thrombosis
There is a broad consensus that the benefits of vaccination greatly outweigh the potential risks of rare vaccine side effects, such as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). Therefore, the importance of vaccination should be emphasized.
COVID-19 related thrombosis: A mini-review
COVID-19 associated VTE is a new disease entity with high morbidity and mortality. The aim of this paper is to review contemporary emerging literature on the incidence, pathophysiology, predictive prognostic indicators, and management consensus for Covid-19 related thrombotic complications, in particular DVT and PE.
Don't Panic Over Vaccine Blood Clots. The System Is Working
Blood clots following AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson doses have sparked fear. But experts say vaccines are safe—and those in charge are working hard to keep it that way.
Long COVID scientists try to unravel blood clot mystery
"The spike protein has the capability to change your soluble clotting protein to insoluble little microclots and that's where everything starts," Pretorius says. "So when you have acute COVID you will have activated platelets, you will have vascular damage in endothelial damage and you will have a microclot presence in some individuals."
People with coronavirus are at risk of blood clots and strokes. Here’s what we know so far
Diagnosing these blood clots in patients with COVID-19 can also be particularly challenging. Firstly, the symptoms of a worsening lung infection associated with the virus can be indistinguishable from the symptoms of a pulmonary embolism. Another challenge in COVID-19 is that the virus can impact laboratory tests which may also be used to diagnose venous blood clots.
Possible link between blood clots and Covid symptoms investigated
A possible link between blood clots and ongoing symptoms of Covid is under scrutiny by researchers in the UK. While Covid can cause a period of acute illness, it can also lead to longer-term problems. Research has suggested fewer than a third of patients who have ongoing Covid symptoms after being hospitalised with the disease feel fully recovered a year later. Now researchers are due to begin a number of trials to explore whether blood thinners may help those who have had the disease.
Risk of Thrombosis during and after a SARS-CoV-2 Infection: Pathogenesis, Diagnostic Approach, and Management
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) increases the risk of thromboembolic events, especially in patients with severe infections requiring intensive care and cardiorespiratory support. COVID-19 patients with thromboembolic complications have a higher risk of death, and if they survive, these complications are expected to negatively affect these patients’ quality of life. Moreover, recent data reported that the risk of thromboembolism remains high months after a COVID-19 infection.
The Blood-Clot Problem Is Multiplying
So are theories to explain it.
The Emerging Threat of (Micro)Thrombosis in COVID-19 and Its Therapeutic Implications
Recent clinical data has highlighted that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with a significant risk of thrombotic complications ranging from microvascular thrombosis, venous thromboembolic disease, and stroke. Importantly, thrombotic complications are markers of severe COVID-19 and are associated with multiorgan failure and increased mortality.
Thrombosis and COVID-19 pneumonia: the clot thickens!
Pulmonary thrombosis appears to be common in COVID-19 pneumonia and takes two forms, proximal pulmonary emboli and/or distal thrombosis. The possible mechanisms and clinical implications are discussed.
Tiny Blood Clots May Be to Blame for Long COVID Symptoms, Some Researchers Say
Autopsies of people who died from COVID-19 have shown that some patients develop these tiny “microclots” in their lungs, potentially contributing to respiratory failure. And now, a growing group of researchers believe microclots may also be to blame, at least in part, for Long COVID symptoms.
UK scientists find link between proteins related to blood clots and long Covid
Biomarker discovery indicates that sufferers from brain fog and fatigue post-virus could be treated with anticoagulants

